It has been almost four years since I last
reviewed the Weatherby
Vanguard bolt action rifle. The Vanguard has for many
years been a fine choice for a hunting rifle, whether in
heavy-barreled varmint hunting form, or the lighter, handier
version for carrying afield in pursuit of big game. The Vanguard
has a well-deserved reputation for accuracy, and is much easier
on the wallet than the Weatherby Mark V. For many years,
the Vanguard stood in the shadow of the Mark V, but hunters and
shooters have realized that the Vanguard is not just a “poor
man’s Weatherby”, but is a dandy rifle in its own right.
While priced at less than half the cost of a comparable Mark V,
the Vanguard still shoots like a Weatherby, and compares
favorably with other rifles in its price range. Which brings us
to the reason for reviewing the Vanguard once again. Weatherby
has recently drastically lowered the price on their
synthetic/blued Vanguard to only $399 US at the time of this
writing. I usually do not list manufacturer’s prices in my
reviews, as prices do change and Gunblast reviews stay posted
for many years. However, in this case, the price reduction is
the meat of this review, as Weatherby has done nothing to change
the Vanguard, they simply lowered the price.

The blued/synthetic Vanguard shown here is
chambered for the .270 Winchester Short Magnum (WSM)
cartridge, which is a very flat-shooting cartridge suitable for
just about all North American big game. The 130 grain Winchester
Ballistic Silvertip bullet clocked 3184 feet-per-second twelve
feet from the muzzle of the Vanguard’s twenty-four inch
barrel.

For accuracy testing, I mounted a Sightron
Big Sky 4.5 to 14 power scope using steel Weaver Grand
Slam rings and Weaver aluminum bases. The Sightron is a very
good choice on a rifle that shoots as flat as does this .270 WSM
Vanguard. The Sightron Big Sky has very clear optics, an
adjustable objective lens, repeatable positive adjustments, and
a 42mm objective. The Sightron is an excellent scope, and the
price won’t break the bank. Accuracy of the Vanguard was
excellent, with the rifle consistently clustering three shots
into less than three-quarters of an inch using the Winchester
factory ammo, which was the only type available to me at the
time of the accuracy testing. I tried no handloads in the rifle.

The Vanguard’s black synthetic stock is shaped
perfectly for comfortable shooting, and the comb positions the
eye just right for scope use. The Vanguard wears no open sights.
The stock has checkering molded in for a positive grip, and
sling swivel studs are factory installed. The barrel and
receiver are blued steel, with a finish somewhere between a
matte and a polished finish, which looks very good and is also
very practical on a hunting rifle. The safety is a two-position
unit to the right of the bolt shroud, and operates easily but
with positive detents. The trigger pull is very good, and can be
slightly adjusted for a better pull weight. The Vanguard’s
trigger pull measured three and three-quarters pounds as
delivered, and I lowered it a half pound before accuracy
testing. The bolt on the Vanguard operated smoothly, as
expected, and cartridges fed effortlessly from the three-round
magazine. The magazine is of the drop-plate design to allow
quick unloading without cycling the cartridges through the
action.

The Vanguard is a full-sized rifle, yet handles
very well. It weighed in at seven pounds, ten ounces, and
balanced perfectly for quick handling. Offering good looks,
reliability, excellent accuracy, and the Weatherby name, the
Vanguard is now within the budget of more hunters than ever
before. With the plethora of excellent hunting rifles available
today, shooters and hunters never had it so good. With Weatherby
lowering the price on their Vanguard rifle, they are placing the
trusted Weatherby name among the low-priced hunting rifle
choices, while sacrificing nothing in terms of quality and
accuracy.

Jeff
Quinn

Sightron 4.5-14x42mm Big Sky scope.

Winchester's 130-grain Ballistic Tip factory load
proved to be very accurate in the Vanguard.

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